Comparing Hamlet's Soliloquies 'Human Life Value Calculator'

When looking at Hamlet, one could say that William Shakespeare put the play together as a very cathartic tragedy. The emotional result of dealing with so many deaths brings on a plethora of emotions which are not usually felt in a typical play. Hamlet begins not with the normal prosperity and good fortune as do most tragedies, but with a more stifling and depressing sort of mood (Tekany 115). However, something else could be said about this play as well. The play centers on Hamlet and his existential characteristics, such as angst, isolation and his confrontations with nothingness. The exhibition of these characteristics proves Hamlet to be an existential character.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragic play about murder, betrayal, revenge, madness, and moral corruption. It touches upon philosophical ideas such as existentialism and relativism. Prince Hamlet frequently questions the meaning of life and the degrading of morals as he agonizes over his father’s murder, his mother’s incestuous infidelity, and what he should or shouldn’t do about it. At first, he is just depressed; still mourning the loss of his father as his mother marries his uncle. After he learns about the treachery of his uncle and the adultery of his mother, his already negative countenance declines further. He struggles with the task of killing Claudius, feeling burdened about having been asked to find a solution to a situation that was

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is laden with tragedy from the start, and this adversity is reflected in the title character. Being informed of his father’s murder and the appalling circumstances surrounding the crime, Hamlet is given the emotionally taxing task of avenging his death. It is clear that having to complete this grim undertaking takes its toll on Hamlet emotionally. Beginning as a seemingly contemplative and sensitive character, we observe Hamlet grow increasingly depressed and deranged as the play wears on. Hamlet is so determined to make his father proud that he allows the job on hand to completely consume him. We realize that Hamlet has a tendency to mull and ponder excessively, which causes the notorious delays of action

Life, the existence of an individual human being. All humans have the desire to “exist” as one would say, to become influential in this world. But is it not possible to exist once one is gone? Famous film director Alfred Hitchcock argues that characters are more important dead than alive. In this life, in order to become important or even cared about, one must die. Death has become the key to success because everyone misses those who are gone. Literary work such as Macbeth, A Lesson Before Dying, Are You Worth More Dead Than Alive? and, How the King of Pop Made 1.5 Million, have proven that not only characters but humans hold more value once they are dead.

Everyone has been led to believe that all lives are equal, and they are however, in terms of monetary value, lives are not equal. Aside the ethics about assigning value to the live it is still done. The justice system tries to resolve this loss by using unjust means. Life should not be given a value in any sort of currency, it is is not right as there is no way to put a price on something as priceless as life. Even if the life of a person is affected by an illness, their worth should not be decreased. All lives are equal, some people need more help than others and it should be given if and when deserve such help. The value of life has been contemplated throughout history, such as Shakespeare's (1599) play, hamlet; in which Hamlet’s

In Our Town, Thornton Wilder conveys that in order to value life one must acknowledge its finality. However, by accepting its impermanence, one inevitably becomes focused on the sorrow that accompanies its imminent end. Thus, it inhibits one from valuing life presently because one is aware that, in the words of Robert Frost, everything “golden” is fleeting.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein. Life should be viewed as a positive because everyone is only given one lifetime to do what they would like to. Although few people interpret life as a positive aspect such as Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, there is also other ways people see the value of life. Including Hamlet from William Shakespeare’s book Hamlet, he views life as a complication, and Amanda Ripley, who views life in a financial point of view. When faced with the perspective of life, many people see the value of life in a black or white manner but there is also a financial perspective as well. All of these views offer an interesting perspective regarding the value of life.

In Hamlet, Hamlet knows that he must avenge the death of his father, but he is too indecisive, too self-doubting, to carry this out until he has no choice. His failings cause his downfall, and he exhibits some of the most basic human reactions and emotions.

Bradley, an analyst of Shakespearean tragedies, argues that the distinguishing feature of a Shakespearean tragedy is the hero’s conflict with himself. Hamlet’s internal conflict is certainly one more complex than any other Shakespearean character, and arguably any tragic hero ever. Bradley believes “…Shakespearean tragedy demonstrates the existence of an ultimate power which reacts violently against evil but in the process contradictorily and mysteriously destroys much that is good as well.” This philosophy embodies Hamlet and his turmoil. It appears that Hamlet has an inability to cope with all of the terrible events that occur in his life. Though he can be a very charming character, it is taxing for him to not fall victim to his circumstances, which he unfortunately ends up doing. Hamlet pushes away all those he once loved because they betrayed him (aside from Ophelia, but we know the logic behind that). When Hamlet is left no one and nothing, he loses all inhibition, and overcomes his tragic flaw, which is the inability to act. However, he is committing an act of revenge, which usually does not end well.

The true meaning of life is unknown. There are many different ideas on what the meaning of life is. Moreover, In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare there are multiple ways the meaning of life is portrayed in three major characters; Hamlet, Claudius, and Polonius. Hamlet’s meaning of life is shown in a belief in justice, that morphs into a craving for revenge. Claudius’ meaning of life is strictly on power. Without power, one's life is meaningless. Finally, Polonius’ meaning of life is all about reputation. Without a reputation, no one will show respect, nor will anyone want to respect anyone. Unfortunately, all of these perspectives of the meaning of life will lead to the characters in Hamlet to breathe one last breath. Although, the meaning of life differs from Hamlet, Claudius, and Polonius. Polonius has the most practical understanding of the meaning of life in today’s world. Without having a good reputation one will amount to nothing. Polonius’ death was the only death that can not be entirely based on his meaning of life because it was not his reputation that got him killed, it was his love for the King that got him killed.

Though the feeling of revenge is meant to motivate a person to retaliate towards someone who did them wrong, it often harms themself in the process. In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley and the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Victor’s devotion to acting on his revenge leads to his death, while Hamlet’s refusal to do so leads to being killed by a man who does take action. This reveals that a person devoted to revenge causes their own death as well as the deaths of people who take too long to act. After Victor creates a monster a spurns it for his appearance, it kills several people close to him, including his brother, best friend and wife. Hamlet meanwhile, discovers via his father’s ghost that his father was murdered by his

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they must make a life changing decision. Caught between two choices, two forces, two paths--they are at a crossroad. One must choose to go left, or right, or to do absolutely nothing at all. Furthermore, one must choose and face the consequences with any path they take. And Hamlet is no different. In the timeless play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the mighty character Prince Hamlet is torn to shreds by the choices he will, has, or desires to make. Hamlet is a complex tragedy involving love and revenge. Throughout the entire literary work, the Prince of Demark struggles with the inner conflict between life and death in his mind. “Should I stay or should I go?” Although

Throughout the play, granted his pensive and emotional nature, Hamlet does eventually evolve due to much moral and virtuous growth, and while he never reaches the standards of a prince qualified to oversee a nation, he does outgrow the role of the politically subordinate fawner. Internal growth occurred when Hamlet finally learned to differentiate between his true self in relation to his perception of self. His initial fits of madness and antic dispositions made this differentiation vaguer, as these episodes had called into question his mental stability. When presented on a public platform, Hamlet’s stability seemed to be deteriorating; however, in reviewing his introspective side, its clear that he feels great pain due to his father’s death, as demonstrated by his constant contemplation surrounding how he can best handle the situation. It is when Hamlet discovers his sense of self that he develops a sense of virtue that begins to allow him to exhibit both characteristics of integrity and justice; however, it is not until the accidental murder of his mother that Hamlet develops the motivation of social justice in conjunction with virtue. This being said, the struggle for a balance of justice and virtue does not occur until Hamlet feels that he has contributed to upholding social justice by convicting those responsible for their crimes. This notion of imbalance is especially present in Hamlet’s plan to get revenge for his father’s

Hamlet is an intensely cerebral character marked by a desire to think things through and pick situations apart. As such, for the first three and a half scenes of Hamlet, Hamlet broods over his father’s death instead of taking action against Claudius, his father’s murderer. Hamlet finally acts because he experiences three intense emotional jolts that allow him to view his situation from a new perspective and spur him to action. Together, these emotional experiences alter his personal philosophy about the nature of death and God’s relationship with creation, and compel him to finally take decisive action.

Throughout his plan, Hamlet maintains his honor and his actions allow for “the reinforcement of the onlookers brightest opinions of the human animal”. Hamlet’s death is unfair, but his integrity leaves the audience with a sense of hope. Hamlet’s physical prosperity is in fates hands, but his moral prosperity was